The musings of a wife, new mom, artist, and former elementary art teacher.

Pancakes: 7 Ways

Introducing Ollie to food has been the most exciting adventure. She is a great eater and we love constantly getting to try new things.

She loves finger foods and the independence they give her.

I also love finger foods because of the independence they give her.

That being said, Ollie has been dubbed the “Queen of Hangry” and it is a title she defends at least three times a day.

So…our motto is to always be prepared for the next meal. We make all of her baby food at home, with the exception of her cereal puffs and teething biscuits.

She really loves those. Maybe a little too much.

We like the Happy Baby Organic brand, but considering they are still somewhat processed and get a tad bit expensive over time, I sought out to find a homemade alternative.

Hello…the baby pancake!

No dairy, no processed sugar…and after the initial batch I started adding extra fruits and vegetables to them for added health benefits. Below you will find seven different recipes for the pancakes: the original recipe and the six that I have introduced to Ollie (so far). I plan to keep sneaking veggies into these pancakes as long as she will keep devouring them!

Also- let me just say that these have been perfect while she is teething. She has been avoiding spoons and even her puffs during this last bout of teething, but she is gobbling up these soft pancakes.

The Original

2wholebananas

1cupunsweetened applesauce

5wholeeggs

1.5cupsrolled oats

1/4tspsea salt

Mix together and cook on skillet or griddle until cooke don both sides.

***Note: I experimented with less eggs in the following recipes. You want to get the mixture to be the consistency of a pancake batter, so you can always add an egg or more oats if needed. I also have used yogurt in place of a banana or two in some of these. You really can play with the ingredients to fit your child’s palette or what is in your kitchen. Store in refriedgeator for immediate use or in the freezer if you want “back up” snacks when you aren’t as prepared as you want to be.

Apple Cinnamon

1 wholebanana

3 baked apples (sliced, skin on)

2wholeeggs

1.5cupsrolled oats

1/4tsp cinnamon

In a blender, combine banana and apple slices. Blend until pureed. Mix fruit puree with remaining ingredients and cook on skillet or griddle until cooked on both sides.

Pumpkin Sweet Potato

1 wholebanana

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

7 oz pumpkin

1 medium sweet potato, mashed

1wholeegg

1.5cupsrolled oats

1/4tsp cinnamon

Combine ingredients and cook on skillet or griddle until cooked on both sides.

Peanut Butter Sweet Potato

2 wholebananas

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup natural unsweetened peanut butter

2 wholeeggs

1.5cupsrolled oats

Combine ingredients and cook on skillet or griddle until cooked on both sides.

Strawberry Beet

2 wholebananas

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup cooked (unsweetened) strawberries, mashed

1 beet, cooked and pureed

2 wholeeggs

1.5cupsrolled oats

Combine ingredients and cook on skillet or griddle until cooked on both sides.

Blueberry Blackberry Spinach

2 wholebananas

1 cup cooked blueberries and blackberries

1 cup cooked spinach

2 wholeeggs

2cupsrolled oats

In a blender, combine bananas, blueberries, blackberries, and spinach (with juices). Blend until pureed. Combine all ingredients and cook on skillet or griddle until cooked on both sides.

*Note: Feel free to add blueberry yogurt to this in place of 1 banana.

Tomato Basil Spinach

1 large tomato

1 baked apple (sliced, skin on)

1 clove minced garlic

1/4 cup cooked spinach

fresh basil, (I used a couple of medium sized leaves)

2 wholeeggs

1.5cupsrolled oats

Slice tomato and cook with garlic until soft. In blender, puree tomato mixture, apple, and spinach. Combine all ingredients and cook on skillet or griddle until cooked on both sides.

*To be honest, I was nervous about how Ollie would respond to this “savory” pancake. She loved it.